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Children are safer riding rear-facing and should ride rear-facing as long as possible until they reach the maximum rear-facing height or weight limit for the seat.
Keep in seat until the child reaches maximum height or weight limit of seat
Keep seat rear-facing until the child reaches the maximum height or weight limit for the seat
*Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. Be aware of position of airbags in vehicle. Consult user’s/owner’s manual.
*Children under 13 should ride in the backseat.
Children are safer riding rear-facing and should ride rear-facing as long as possible until they reach the maximum rear-facing height or weight limit for the seat. Once they outgrow the rear-facing seat, use a forward facing seat with a harness and tether.
Keep seat rear-facing until the child reaches the maximum height or weight limit for the seat
Once a child reaches reaches the maximum height or weight limit for the rear facing, the seat can be turned forward. Continue to use the 5-point harness
*Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. Be aware of position of airbags in vehicle. Consult user’s/owner’s manual.
*Children under 13 should ride in the backseat.
Children are safer using a forward-facing seat with a harness and a tether for as long as possible, until they reach the height or weight limit for the harness. Once they outgrow the forward facing car seat, use a booster seat in the back seat.
Keep seat rear-facing until the child reaches the maximum height or weight limit for the seat
Keep in booster seat once the child has outgrown the forward-facing 5-point harnessed seat until child meets all five of the criteria for an adult belt. You can take the seat belt fit test here.
*Children under 13 should ride in the backseat.
Children are safer traveling in booster seats in the back seat until the belt fits properly and they are approximately 4ft 9in (57 in or 145 cm) tall. Once they outgrow the booster seat, use an adult seat belt in the back seat.
Keep in booster seat once the child has outgrown the forward-facing 5-point harnessed seat until child meets all five of the criteria for an adult belt. You can take the fit test below. Answer these questions with the child sitting directly on the vehicle seat without the booster seat. If you answer “no” to any of these questions, your child is NOT ready to come out of the booster seat.
When sitting all the way back in the vehicle seat, do your
child’s knees bend at the edge of the seat and feet rest flat on the floor?
Does the shoulder belt cross the center of the chest and rest on the shoulder (not the neck)?
Does the lap belt fit low and snug across the hips, touching the upper thighs?
Can your child stay seated like this for the entire trip?
When your child can pass the seat belt fit test above.
*Children under 13 should ride in the backseat.
Children are usually ready for a seat belt by this age. To be sure, take the seat belt fit test here.
*Children under 13 should ride in the backseat.
Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences
at Old Dominion University
Community Health and Research
E.V. Williams Hall Pediatrics
855 W. Brambleton Avenue
Norfolk, Virginia 23510
Phone: 1-757-446-5799
Materials are free for educational, nonprofit use; citation is appreciated.
The Car Safety Now program was supported by a series of grants from the Virginia DMV Highway Safety Office (Principal Investigator: Kelli England, Ph.D.). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Virginia DMV, or Virginia Highway Safety Office.